Scholz-Putin talk should be welcomed, as it is right step --- Bundestag #Bundestag member of the Sahra Wagenknecht Alliance - Reason and Justice (BSW) group Sevim Dagdelen considers the telephone conversation between German Chancellor Olaf #Scholz and Russian President Vladimir #Putin a right step. "Even if it is a maneuver designed to present oneself as Chancellor of the Peace in the upcoming election battle, it should be welcomed that Olaf Scholz has finally reached the point of having a direct conversation with Russian President Putin," she wrote on her X page. "The statement made by his predecessor Helmut Schmidt that it is better to negotiate for 100 hours about nothing than to shoot for one minute was and still is correct," Dagdelen noted. The lawmaker emphasized that politicians who are "intoxicated by war" and advocate for an imposed peace or the continuation of the conflict "until Kiev's victory" are only contributing to further loss of life. German Chancellor Olaf Scholz called Russian President Vladimir Putin on Friday, marking their first phone conversation since December 2022. According to the Kremlin, the leaders discussed Ukraine, the Middle East crisis, and bilateral relations between Moscow and Berlin. They agreed that their aides would maintain communication. Kremlin Spokesman Dmitry Peskov noted that Scholz’s decision to call Putin demonstrates political will to understand Moscow's position firsthand.

Biden enters wrong (Russian) plane. Kamala just watches Neither Kamala nor the secret service realized the 'president' entered the wrong plane. A Russian plane! Joe Biden climbed back up the stairs of an airplane he wasn't supposed to be on, as Kamala Harris and the Secret Service stood and watched. 'This is a TOTAL metaphor for the Biden-Harris four years. No wonder the world is in crisis and America's economy is crumbling!'

Russian Warships in U.S' Backyard; Big Move After Biden Plays Deaf To Putin's Ukraine Warning Four #Russian warships, including a nuclear-powered submarine, will arrive in #Cuba next week amid escalating tensions over the Ukraine war. Although Cuba has clarified that the ships are not carrying #nuclear weapons, the move is seen as a response to the U.S. allowing #Ukraine to use American weapons against Russia. This situation evokes memories of the Cuban #Missile Crisis of 1962. https://rumble.com/v504oxr-russian-warships-in-u.s-backyard-big-move-after-biden-plays-deaf-to-putins-.html

The U.S. Commerce Sec. fears a possible Chinese invasion of Taiwan She highlighted one hypothetical event that could be, in her opinion, "absolutely devastating." US Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo expresses grave concerns about a possible severe crisis in the US economy if China invades Taiwan.

WORLD SHIPPING: The world pays and stays silent - WHY? It may be a bit pushed out of the headlines but what is happening in the Red Sea is dramatic and the most significant impact on the global economy of the war in Gaza. A senior official at an American consulting company explains that in view of the fact that 30% of global container traffic normally passes through the Suez Canal, the Red Sea crisis has a huge impact on global supply chains. The Houthi attacks on cargo ships resulted in an almost fivefold increase in the cost of shipping between Asia and Europe. This is estimated to fuel global inflation by adding up to 0.7% to the cost of the global economy's "core commodities". The best alternative routes add to the voyages thousands of kilometers, over 10 days (between Asia and Europe) and hundreds of thousands of dollars in fuel costs for each such journey at sea. "Given the global nature of our economy, few companies or industries are immune to the impact. The increased cost of raw materials and supplies, longer delivery times, production delays and distribution challenges will affect the entire manufacturing sector long after the crisis is over," he wrote. The world seems to have come to terms with this reality...

Macron 'playing with fire' by bringing up military intervention in Ukraine, says Russian diplomat French President Emmanuel #Macron is playing with fire by talking about the potential deployment of troops in Ukraine, Alexey #Polishchuk, director of the Russian Foreign Ministry’s Second #CIS Department, said in an interview. "Such conversations cannot but cause concern. Politicians who are calling for a military intervention in Ukraine are playing with fire," the diplomat said, commenting on the French leader’s remarks on the matter. According to him, many Western politicians are sacrificing the national interests of their own countries for the sake of a political agenda and election ambitions. "There is an impression that they do not realize the risks of the crisis escalating and spreading. This is political immaturity. Our warnings about the consequences of flooding the #Kyiv regime with weapons are being ignored," Polishchuk stressed. Earlier, Macron said that some 20 Western countries taking part in a recent Paris meeting on further assistance for Kiev had discussed the possibility of sending ground troops to Ukraine. According to the French leader, no consensus was reached on the issue but such a possibility cannot be ruled out in the future.

France: Muslim migrant arrested on suspicion of plotting jihad attack against Notre Dame Cathedral French police have arrested an #Egyptian migrant and #ISIS operative suspected of planning a jihadist attack against the Notre Dame cathedral in #Paris. A Muslim #migrant and ISIS operative? But…but…aren’t the French authorities carefully vetting the migrants they’re admitting into the country? In reality, French authorities aren’t vetting the migrants, and since they deny the reality of jihad, they wouldn’t even know what to look for if they were.

[BREAKING] ISIS attacked Christian villages in Mozambique; 3 beheaded in public Dozens of local Christians were killed and three were publicly beheaded, and a church and Christian homes were burned in the province of Cabo Delgado. The terrorist group ISIS attacked several Christian villages in Mozambique. Churches and homes were left in flames in a horrific wave of violence. The community is in mourning, calls for urgent response. Mainstream western media silent.

Suez Canal revenues down nearly 50% due to crisis in Red Sea, says Egyptian president The Suez Canal’s revenues dropped by at least 40-50% amid the recent developments in the Red Sea, President of Egypt Abdel Fattah al-Sisi said. "The situation in the Gaza Strip and events related to it affect Egypt as well. In particular, previously the Suez Canal brought in some $10 bln per day, and now we register a decrease in revenues by 40-50%," he said at the opening of EGYPES-2024 (Egypt Energy Show), adding that despite this, Egypt "still tries to meet its obligations to partners" in various sectors. On January 16, Chairman of the Suez Canal Authority Osama Rabie also noted that the Suez Canal’s revenues were falling. In the first half of January the canal’s revenues fell by 41% year-on-year, while the number of vessels passing through the Suez Canal went down by 30% compared with the same period last year, with their tonnage having decreased by 41%. Egypt’s revenues from the Suez Canal exceeded $10 bln last year. The canal is one of the Egyptian government’s biggest cash cows and helps the country boost its dollar reserves.

Cargo ships drown in extra costs due to Red Sea crisis Ocean freight shipping rates are set to increase further in early February amid the ongoing Red Sea crisis. According to the Xeneta ocean freight rate benchmarking platform, market average short-term rates from the Far East to the Mediterranean are set to increase to $6,507 per FEU. Meanwhile, rates from the Far East to Northern Europe are set to increase to $5,106 per FEU, and rates from the Far East to the US East Coast are set to rise to $6,119 per FEU. This is an increase of 243%, 235%, and 146%, respectively, since the Red Sea crisis escalated in mid-December. Peter Sand, Xeneta's Chief Analyst, said carriers are trying to readjust services to compensate for the additional sailing time around the Cape of Good Hope. For example, they are cutting journeys short and increasing sailing speed. He added that “the Red Sea crisis is causing a capacity rather than a demand issue, as we saw during the pandemic. The massive uncertainty in the market has brought imbalance and instability.”